Herod was curious as to who Jesus was; he wanted to see him and perhaps a spectacle or two, some miracle. But Herod was not willing to leave the comfort of his palace to seek out Jesus. His curiosity was a mental exercise; he would not go to where Jesus was - in the poor villages of Galilee; along hillsides, seashore, and wild place; at tables with sinners and the dregs of society. Herod would not see Jesus until the latter's trial, and then Jesus would not speak to him at all.
How often are we like Herod? We have our curiosity to know Jesus and we entertain various theories from the comfort of our homes and the smugness of our complacency. But we are not at all comfortable venturing out to see where Jesus truly is - among the poor, the sick and infirm, at the tables of sinners, and in out of the way places with crowds of people hungry for food and hungry in spirit. When Jesus does come to our place of comfort, it is bound in chains for an imminent death, and he has nothing to say to us.
To find out who Jesus really is requires us to leave our comfort zones and to encounter Jesus in difficult places, places of discomfort for the many who live there. Once we encounter Jesus there we cannot, we must not, return to the comfort of our palaces. We must be where Jesus is.
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